For once, with the odds
by Relephant
Summary: After the giant crickets, the possessed animals, the kiss, and the gamble that cost Artemis Fowl his life. Winning always comes with a price.


Author's Note: Hello! Yes, this is my first AF fic, and it's a melodramatic mess, just like me. But it was fun, and I do think the writing practice helped. I would love some criticism on to improve my writing more! Don't be afraid to state your honest opinion, even if it's to completely trash this story, me, my family, my existence, etc. (On second thought, don't trash my family.)

So. This is an alternate ending to the last books of the Artemis Fowl series.

They place the clone on a small mound of dirt, near the twining orange roses of the tower. Holly marvels at how much it looks like him—and how much it doesn't. Gods, she hopes this will work. It _has_ to work. She rubs a bleary blue eye. Ever since that day, she hasn't been sleeping so well. She's had nightmares about it, over and over Artemis flinging himself at the barrier between life and death. It should have been her trapped in the bubble; she was the fairy; she should have paid for her own species's folly. Regret—and guilt—flits at the back of her mind, whirring like one of Foaly's Dragonflies. It should have been her who rushed into that circle. It was because of her that Artemis had died. A fairy eye...

At the very end, he was the hero who saved the world from the dragon. But he was burned beyond repair. Funny that it was Artemis Fowl who did it all, the teenage criminal mastermind who robbed, lied, stole, and cheated as a matter of course. Even in his sleep. She shakes her head. No, that _is not_ the end. He is here in the flesh. His ghost and his mind are still floating around, waiting for them to save him. And it will work. Foaly can do it. Foaly fixes things. Better than Artemis. It's what he does.

"Is he ready?" She looks hopefully (fearfully) at the centaur.

"Any minute now."

Butler only watches with the same expression on his face as Holly's. There are shadows beneath his eyes, a few grey hairs shining in the afternoon sun, yet determination is set in the lines of his mouth. He'd been through this before years ago, but he could never be resigned to his charge's death. If anything, these six months were worse than the three years. He'd seen it happen this time. The uncertainty of waiting tears him open again, splitting all the old scars. He feels old and weathered enough to retire from service and give up the ghost, though his horrible, horrible hope keeps him from falling completely apart.

A spark twitches through the clone's body, and Holly gasps as its eyes flicker open: cold, blue, and entirely Artemis.

"See, it worked!" Foaly grins, relieved. "I _am_ a genius. Come on now, let's get him inside."

Just as quickly as he had come to life, Artemis shudders. Black sparks flicker down the length of his body. Behind the clone, the fairy roses are withering. In a flash, Holly is kneeling at his side. "Heal." She shuts her eyes and concentrates all of her power, begging and pleading for this to work. Because it has to. Because she doesn't know how she can bear it knowing they have given all this up to end like this.

But we all know things don't always go as they should, don't we? Justice is chance with only slightly better aim. Criminals catch their own breaks. An officer can be forced to shoot her own mentor and watch him die. A fairy eye can spoil a brilliant plan, and a boy who had blown a spark of goodness into a roaring fire just might not come back to them.

So Foaly and Butler look on as Holly pours herself into someone who has died yet again, and they hope. And they hope. Until Holly opens her eyes and stares at the lifeless body of Artemis Fowl II.

Foaly grits his teeth. "D'arvit."

Butler can't bring himself to look at the crumpled heap on the ground that looks just like the Artemis he has buried twice, so he leans against the tower and closes his eyes. The roses are dead now, their dry stems bare of leaves. Shriveled petals blanket the earth. It's over. Artemis is gone, really gone this time.

"I can try growing another clone. We can see if it works next time. I'm certain I just—just got a small calculation wrong, and I can fix—"

Holly turns around to look at her friends, tears glistening in her eyes. "No!" Foaly flinches at the shout, and the birds go silent. "It's over. Look. He's gone for good. I can't _feel_ him here anymore." Her fists are clenched. "We have to move on now. Artemis... He wouldn't want us to be killing ourselves like this. Please."

Butler walks over slowly and lifts her into a crushing hug. "It's okay," he murmurs. "Everything will be all right."

Foaly's arms dangle at his sides. These useless hands couldn't bring Artemis back. He has failed. Finally, Foaly speaks, as if to himself: "I think we should get back to Haven now. I think we all need some sleep."

"I think," Holly whispers, "I want to stay here a while. Just a little bit longer."

Foaly nods. Butler gathers up the lifeless clone into his arms and places him back on his life support machine, trying very hard not to look into its still open eyes.

"Well." Foaly says. "Call me when you're ready, and I'll send a wing set." He rolls the body back into his shuttle. Holly and Butler watch as it shields and flies away.

It is late afternoon and in the lazy golden light, everything is soft. Holly and Butler sit next to each other in silence, watching the sun set and the clouds blaze pink, their backs against the old tower and their legs half buried in dried orange petals and browned leaves.

(Once upon a time, there was a monster who learned to love and became a hero. And once upon a time, there was no happily ever after.)


End file.
